Directors and Advisory Board

About the NCVP Directors

Dr. Susan Little, Regents Professor and the Krull-Ewing Endowed Professor in Veterinary Parasitology at the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, and Dr. Mason Reichard, Associate Professor in Veterinary Parasitology, serve as Co-Directors of the National Center for Veterinary Parasitology. The NCVP is a natural extension of their commitment to parasitology education, training of veterinary and graduate students, and national and international leadership in the field of parasitology

Susan Little, DVM, PhD, DACVM-Parasit.In addition to Dr. Little's work with the Center, she is active in veterinary parasitology teaching and oversees a research program that focuses on zoonotic parasites and tick-borne diseases. She earned her BS from Cornell University, a DVM from Virginia Tech, and a PhD in veterinary parasitology from the University of Georgia. She has served as president of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, as a board member of the Companion Animal Parasite Council, and on the editorial boards of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Therapeutics, and the Journal of Wildlife Diseases. Dr. Little has authored more than 100 publications on veterinary and human parasites and tick-borne disease agents. She is also recognized as an outstanding teacher and has been awarded two Excellence in Teaching Awards from the national Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA).

Mason Reichard, MS, PhDDr. Mason Reichard is active in teaching veterinary parasitology to veterinary students and to practicing veterinarians through continuing education. His creative approach to teaching has generated a number of tools used in training veterinary students at Oklahoma State and elsewhere. Dr. Reichard also leads a very successful research program that focuses on zoonotic and tick-borne diseases of wild and domestic animals. He received a BS in Biology from Central Michigan University, MS in Biology from Northern Michigan University, and a PhD in Veterinary Biomedical Science from Oklahoma State University.

NCVP Project Leader

Kelly Allen, MS, PhDDr. Kelly Allen took on the role of NCVP Project Leader beginning May of 2013, and we are very lucky to have such a talented parasitologist steering projects through to completion. Dr. Allen completed her MS at the University of Georgia and her PhD at Oklahoma State University. As NCVP project leader, Kelly works on a number of special projects, including renovation of the highly accessed public image database, compiling case-based quizzes for those teaching and reviewing veterinary parasitology, and coordinating our educational outreach programs and newsletters. Dr. Allen also serves as a key point of contact for sponsors and board members and organizes travel and hosting logistics for our twice-annual board meetings. We are very excited to have her on board. Please feel free to reach out to her for any NCVP needs.

NCVP Advisory Board

Byron Blagburn, PhD, DACVM-Parasit.​Dr. Byron Blagburn, Auburn University, holds the position of Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, where he trains veterinary and graduate students in parasitology and leads an internationally recognized research program on parasitic diseases of animals. He earned his BS from Andrews University and his PhD in Parasitology from the University of Illinois. Awards received by Dr. Blagburn include the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists Distinguished Parasitologist Award in 2001, the highest honor granted by the AAVP, the Beecham Award for Research Excellence, and the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence. In addition, he is a Past-President of the AAVP, an Honorary Diplomate of the ACVM-Parasitology, and has been named Outstanding Teacher, Alumni Professor, and Distinguished University Professor at Auburn University.

Dwight Bowman, MS, PhD, DACVM-Parasit.Dr. Dwight Bowman, Cornell University, has established an impressive body of work examining various compounds for treating parasites in dogs, cats, cattle and sheep, with primary emphasis on soil-transmitted parasites. He earned his MS and PhD in parasitology from Tulane University and completed post-doctorate work on ocular larva migrans at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. He has been at Cornell University since 1987 where he teaches veterinary parasitology and continues his research on animal parasites; he is the author of Parasitology for Veterinarians, the leading textbook in veterinary parasitology. Awards received by Dr. Bowman include the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists Distinguished Parasitologist Award, the highest honor granted by the AAVP. In addition, he is President of the Companion Animal Parasite Council, President-elect of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, and an Honorary Diplomate of the ACVM-Parasitology.

Mike Dryden, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVM-Parasit.Dr. Mike Dryden, Kansas State University, is a leading authority on flea and tick biology and control for dogs and cats. His research program focuses on in-home evaluations of flea and tick control products as well epidemiologic investigations of intestinal parasites. He earned his BS and DVM from KSU and his MS and PhD at Purdue University, and he currently holds the University Distinguished Professorship in Veterinary Parasitology at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Awards received by Dr. Dryden include the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence, the KSU Distinguished Service Award from the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, a Recognition Award in Urban Entomology from the northcentral branch of the Entomological Society of America, an Excellence in Teaching Award from the American College of Veterinary Dermatology, and the Veterinarian of the Year Award at the Purina Annual Show Dogs of the Year Awards. He is a Charter Diplomate in Parasitology through the ACVM

Anne Zajac, MS, DVM, PhD, DACVM-Parasit.​Dr. Anne Zajac, Virginia Tech, is an internationally recognized expert in clinical parasitology and the author of Veterinary Clinical Parasitology, the textbook used to train veterinary students and veterinary technicians throughout North America in diagnostic parasitology. Dr. Zajac received her BS from the University of Michigan, her MS and DVM from Michigan State University, and her PhD in veterinary parasitology from Ohio State University. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, where she teaches undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary students parasitology and leads a research program focused on clinical parasitology, including gastrointestinal nematodes of ruminants and intestinal protozoa of dogs and cats. She is a past-president of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists and a Charter Diplomate in Parasitology through the ACVM. In 2008 she received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists.

​Ex Officio NCVP Board Members

Chris Adolph, DVM, MS, DACVM-Parasit., joined Zoetis in 2015 as a Parasitology Specialist on the Veterinary Specialty Team, where he collaborates with veterinary medical Research and Development to address the need for novel veterinary parasite control strategies. Dr Adolph received his DVM in 1996 from Oklahoma State University. After a year and a half as an associate veterinarian, Dr. Adolph moved to Southpark Veterinary Hospital in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma as a partner for 4 years and full owner for 13 years. During his time as a practice owner, he developed a special interest in parasitology and practice management. In 2011, while conducting field prevalence studies in conjunction with the National Center for Veterinary Parasitology, Dr. Adolph began a Master’s degree program under the guidance of Dr. Susan Little at Oklahoma State University, which he completed in 2013. Dr. Adolph has authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers and has been a popular presenter at national and international symposia.

Doug Carithers, DVM, is the Director of Applied Research and Publications for North American Business Operations of Merial in Duluth, GA, USA. At Merial for 20 years, Dr. Carithers has been the Director of Applied Research and Publications for the past ten years. In addition to coordinating trials and surveys, he has authored or co-authored over 40 scientific papers, has lectured internationally at veterinary and parasitology meetings and conferences, and has participated in national and international round table discussions on pain medication and parasitology. He is currently serving on the AHS board as Editor, and was previously Vice President of the American Heartworm Society. Dr. Carithers has also served on the boards of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI), the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC), and the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) for the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC).

Joe Hostetler, DVM, is the manager of Veterinary Services in the Animal Health Division at Bayer HealthCare. Dr. Hostetler works out of Bayer HealthCare's North American office located in Shawnee, Kansas. Dr. Hostetler earned his DVM from Washington State University. He is has received numerous awards, including the Upjohn Award for Proficiency in Clinical Medicine.

Frank Guerino, PhD, is a Director in Global Pharmaceutical Development for Merck Animal Health. He received his BS from Rutgers University, MS degree from The Pennsylvania State University and PhD from the University of Maryland. Following a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical School, he joined American Cyanamid Company and began a career in product development. Dr. Guerino was also employed by Fort Dodge Animal Health and Alpharma prior to joining Schering-Plough Animal Health (currently Merck Animal Health). He has over 20 years of experience in the development of parasiticides for livestockand companion animals

​Daniel Snyder, DVM, PhD, DACVM-Parasit., is a Senior Research Advisor, Elanco Animal Health R&D, located in Greenfield, IN. He is a native of Illinois and graduated with B.S/M.S. degrees from Western Illinois University in 1976/1978 and his Ph.D. and DVM degrees from the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine in 1983/1987. He previously worked for the USDA-ARS in Auburn, AL and for Pfizer Animal Health. Over the last 21 years at Elanco, he has been involved in the development of food and companion animal parasiticides. He has published extensively and presented on a wide variety of parasitology topics. He is active in WAAVP and AAVP and served as the AAVP Secretary- Treasurer and is a past President of AAVP. He is a Diplomate of the European Veterinary Parasitology College (EVPC) and is a Charter Diplomate in Parasitology through the ACVM. ​​

​Cristiano von Simson , DVM, MBA, is the Director of field Veterinary Services for Virbac. Dr. von Simson was born in São Paulo, Brazil, where he received his degree in veterinary medicine from the University of São Paulo (1989), and an MBA from Fundação Getulio Vargas. He has over 20 years of experience in Animal Health Industry and parasiticides, the last 15 in the United States.Dr. von Simson is the past Vice-President of the American Heartworm Society, has lectured internationally at veterinary and parasitology meetings, participated in round-tables and conferences on parasitology and has several publications in the parasitology area.